Teachers will strike if demands are not met

Victorian government teachers will strike unless they reach agreement with the State Government over pay and workload by April 16.

The Australian Education Union state council said after seven months of negotiating, no progress had been made on the Coalition’s promise to make Victorian teachers the highest paid in the nation.

"Teachers in Western Australia and New South Wales at the top of the incremental scale are paid $7441 and $2822 respectively more than Victorian teachers for doing the same work,’’ AEU Victorian president Mary Bluett said.

"We are already experiencing teacher shortages and we have an increasing number of teachers leaving the system each year, which places pressure on schools and forces many teachers to work outside their area of qualification or expertise."

The union is calling for a 30 per cent pay rise over three years for teachers. The government has refused to offer more than 2.5 per cent, with any further increases awarded on the basis of productivity.

If the union fails to reach agreement with the government by Monday April 16, it will make an application to Fair Work Australia for a Protected Action Ballot of members who would be covered by the agreement.

The forms of action to be included in the ballot are:

• Strikes of one to 24 hours duration;• Bans, limitations and other protest action;• Protest action if any State Coalition member visits a public school.

Teachers are expected to go on strike in late May if agreement is not reached.